Will Islam replace Christianity as dominant U.S. religion?

A Muslim friend recently said to me: “Your religion is dying. It had already died in Europe, and you are fading away here. When that happens, we will buy your property and make mosques of your churches.”
This remark surprised me. Our relationship had always been warm. I let him know he was wrong or at least premature. I later discovered evidence that might support his assessment.
According to the July 14 Witness (“Statewide UM membership falls in 2005”), we have had a continuous membership loss since 1968. A similar scenario holds true for the remainder of mainline denominations.
The Southern Baptists and Pentecostals have reported increases, but it is questionable whether they will make up for the decline at the national level.
My Muslim friend is correct about one thing. Muslims have moved into the empty churches of Europe and built mosques on some former Christian property.
According to William Wagner in How Islam Plans to Change the World, the U.S. Muslim population grew by more than 100 percent to 14 million between 1988 and 1999. America has seen a 25 percent increase in Muslims.
Participants in American mosques have increased by more than 75 percent during the past five years. There are now more than 1,200 mosques in the United States.
After perusing these figures, some might say, “Why not? Our society is openly pluralistic, and our country has a history of championing religious liberty.”
While that’s true, we can be sure Islam doesn’t hold these values. Saudi Arabia won’t permit a Christian church to be built. In Muslim countries where Christian churches have fallen into disrepair, those buildings can’t be fixed unless ruling authorities give consent. They rarely do.
The inescapable conclusion is that Islam is a militant faith with a worldwide missionary outreach supported, of course, by our petrodollars, and is on the way to becoming the most rapidly growing faith in the world.
Another person might remark, “I still don’t see what’s wrong. Aren’t the followers of Islam peaceful, merciful and compassionate?”
Without a doubt there are moderate Muslims. But we cannot forget that the cutting edge of Islamic culture today is fundamentalism. Consequently, when a Muslim population grows, the probability of its mosque becoming radicalized is substantial.
That won’t happen here, you say? According to many announcements of imams, the United States is the great Satan. Its fall is the last step in the Muslim plan for worldwide domination, and that plan is well on its way.
Let’s not forget that for Islam there is no separation of state and religion. The mosque in Mecca is the Muslims’ Washington, D.C.
Has our motivation for spreading the gospel died up, or have we fallen into such a spiritual decline that we cannot wake from our slumber? Has the preaching to the church become tired and trite through dull repletion? Has the gospel become domesticated, to be petted and admired but rarely let out of the cage?
You can bet Islam comes with a fresh language new to American ears. It sounds alive and vital to the jaded post-Christian listener.